


His Second Chance

by angelicRenegade



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time
Genre: Alternate Universe, Amnesia, Angst, BOTW/OOT Lore Realignment, Bodyswap, Drama, F/M, Lore Change
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-05
Updated: 2018-01-22
Packaged: 2019-02-28 15:57:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,557
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13274895
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angelicRenegade/pseuds/angelicRenegade
Summary: Dark Link remembered very little- his room in the Water Temple, his creation, the woman who created him... So why was he waking up in the body of the reincarnated Hero who had fallen in the line of duty? And who exactly was he, anyways? Why couldn't he remember? All he knew was that a voice called to him and a strange message had been left for him that he couldn't understand. It was up to him to carry on Link's legacy, for a time, now. And maybe, just maybe, he could bring home his mistress.





	1. The Amnesiac Wakes

**Author's Note:**

> This is just me playing around with an idea my darling and I came up with in an RP. What if Dark was forced to play hero for a bit? Chapters will get longer over time, I promise!

Groggy blue eyes opened to see a strange device floating over their owner’s body. No, it didn’t float. Was it protruding from the ceiling…? Perhaps.

The young man sat up slowly as dizziness hit him hard. He wiped away some of the blue ick that clung to the fringes of his face before the blond man swung his legs over the edge of the strange bed and hit the cold floor. The young Hylian shivered. Where were his clothes?

  _A mirrored lake. An inescapable room. A dying tree on an isolated island._

The images flashed through the Hylian’s mind, though they were faded. He stumbled back and fell against the side of the contraption he had been slumbering in. His breath came in heavy, short bursts as if he hadn’t used his lungs before.

After several moments, the Hylian stood on shaky legs. He made his way to a pedestal across the room and clung to it for support as the machine whirred to life and offered him some strange, unfamiliar device. The blond took it hesitantly, not sure what it was or how to activate it. Once securely in hand, the strange device lit up and showed a local map of the area, not that the Hylian knew where he was.

The door that sealed him in the chamber opened as if by magic now that the device had been removed. The small, portable machine in the Hylian’s hand beeped three times as a message showed over the map.

The blond looked at the device. It was hard to make out the words, as if the writing on the device was in a different dialect from the one he knew. He could make out the words _Zelda_ , _Link, Ganon,_ and _Dark_ , but nothing more. Who were these people? Why was the word dark written so formally? So many questions plagued his mind. Who was this Link? Zelda? Gan-

_Shadows poured over a cauldron as a dark hand gripped the rim, an attempt to lift itself out. Its master circled around the boiling apparatus, speaking in some foreign language with a deep, gravelly voice._

Again dizziness hit the Hylian. He stumbled to the doorframe and leaned against it to catch his breath. The blond grit his teeth and moved forward, winded but determined, only to lay eyes upon a chest and several large boxes in the next room. He knelt next to the chest, glad to find it unlocked and pulled some frayed, well-aged pants from inside accompanied by some simple shoes.

It was safe to say he was quick to pull on the pants and footwear. Now somewhat dressed, the Hylian trudged to the next room. He was blinded by light for a moment as the door opened, but quickly made his way to a small cliff to scale it with relative ease.

He ran forward to greet the rising sun and to scan over the horizon of the area he found himself in. Trees, grass, and a small path graced his vision as he looked over the high ledge and the Hylian suddenly felt so small. He shuddered to think what wonders, horrors, and mysteries laid before him.


	2. The Hermit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally uploading the next chapter! Going a bit off the rails, but for a reason. Thank you to everyone who have left kudos! I love you all!

The Hylian started down the path near the cave entrance. He had no shirt yet to protect him from the elements, nor a weapon to defend against whatever foe he might cross paths with.

Within moments, he came across a man and a campfire. He stared at the stranger for a moment and was spooked when the old man decided to speak up.

“Rather chilly, aren’t you?” The old man chuckled. He poked at the fire with a slightly burnt stick. “Why don’t you sit by the fire a moment? Perhaps take an apple or two? They’re freshly baked.”

The blond sat across from the old man, not sure why he was about to trust him. However, his stomach grumbled and he reached for an apple only to burn his fingertips and make a noise of surprise.

“Careful, lad. They’re hot.” The old man chuckled again. He seemed to possess information the younger man did not, as if he had expected him to not know what heat was.

“Who are you?” The blond asked hesitantly. He was unsure if he would be asked for his name in return.

“Just an old hermit a bit out of touch with the rest of the world. I got stranded here almost exactly one hundred years ago, when Hyrule fell to the Calamity.” The old man handed the lad a stick with a pair of apples squarely pierced upon it and roasted. “About the time those Sheikah girls left your body in that cavern.”

“One hundred years?” The Hylian asked. That was a long time, even for an elf. Shouldn’t he look a bit older than twenty if he had indeed been entombed there for so long?

“They left this for you.” The old man fished a worn letter from his pocket. “And, aye. It’s remarkable that you look so young still. I was a lad of your age when I was stranded here.” He pressed the letter into the blond man’s hands.

The Hylian lad looked at the folded paper. It smelled aged and like it had been kept close to the wilderness as the scent of trees clung to the page. He opened it and scanned over the words for a brief moment before he looked to the hermit. “I can’t read most of this.” It was true. The few words he could pick out formalized the word _dark_ again and mentioned whomever this ‘Link’ was.

At least this time no vision flashed before his eyes.

“You can’t? I’m surprised. It’s in modern Hyrulean.” The hermit eyed his newfound friend quizzically.

“I’m starting to doubt my ability to read.” The younger man drawled sarcastically. For some reason he found it to sound weird to speak as such with his voice. He passed the letter back carefully, as to not damage it. “I can only make out ‘dark’ and the name ‘Link’ in it. But it sounds like they’re referring to this Link guy as dark.”

The hermit let out a boisterous laugh as he opened the letter. “I’ll read it over for you, then.” He cleared his throat and stroked his beard. “Some time will have passed since you were last in this world. The age of the Hero of Time has long since been over and once more the Hero requires your unique assistance, Dark Link. You will find- oh my, you will find yourself in the current Hero’s body. Something has happened, and his spirit is sleeping according to the gods. While they work to restore his spirit, you have been charged with traversing Hyrule’s ruins and working to end Calamity Ganon once and for all…? Signed, Lady Impa.”

Both men found a bit of shock in the letter, but it was the hermit who spoke first.

“So, you are not Link. I see no need to hide myself, then.” He mused. A few strokes of his beard and he was enveloped in a soft blueish light for several moments as the façade of gentle hermit faded to the bearing of nobility. “My name is Rhoam Bosphoramus Hyrule, the last King of this scourge-ridden land.”

Dark Link was still in the process of trying to make sense of what he had been told and barely heard King Rhoam. “I-I don’t understand. The gods…?” It explained the weird feelings he had been experiencing since he awoke in the cave, why he felt so awkward, why his voice sounded odd to hear…

“Yes, lad. The gods.” King Rhoam turned to watch the castle. “Funny, though. The legends never speak of a ‘Dark Link.’ Only of the Hero and the Princess, Zelda.” He sighed. “I’m sure this is a lot to wrap your head around. Especially if the last time you walked Hyrule is in the time of the Hero of Time.”

“Just a bit.” Dark Link looked at the King. He wanted to ask how long it had been since the age of Time, but he refrained. “Where in Hyrule are we?”

“The Great Plateau.” King Rhoam did not turn to look at his companion. “There’s no way off of it without a paraglider. For the moment, you should worry about finding shelter for the night. There is a cabin to the northwest of here. It should have plenty for you to eat for a few days and a bed of hay. I’ve also stashed an old doublet of mine for the snowier regions for your use.”

“As long as I’m stuck up here, I’m guessing I get your helpful guidance?” Dark Link asked with a degree of scrutiny. He looked to where King Rhoam watched Calamity Ganon writhing over the castle. “I’m going to need weapons if I’m traveling like this, I’m sure.”

“Luckily for you, there’s an axe just against that log and a torch near my fire.” King Rhoam put a hand on Dark Link’s shoulder. “I will come to you on the dawn of the third day to let you get your bearings. For now, the fate of my daughter rests with you, as well as the fate of Hyrule.”

As the apparition faded, Dark Link steeled himself for the long road ahead of him.


End file.
